1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a temporary clamp or holder for adjustably securing a conduit adjacent the surface of an object and more particularly to a clamp capable of holding medical conduits to a patient's body in conjunction with numerous medical treatments and procedures. It will be understood the term conduit is used in the broadest sense in this disclosure and might equally apply to a tube for transporting a fluid, a wire or other medium for transporting electromagnetic energy, or simply a rod for transporting thermal energy. Thus, in the broad sense, this invention is useful for firmly holding any long slender conduit of indefinite length, such as a tube, pipe, optical fiber, or electrical wire, adjacent and parallel to an attachment or mounting surface. Generally the mounting surface is the epidermal layer of a human patient since it is so often crucial to provide conduit support near a point of entry of a conduit into the interior of the body. However, upon occasion, it may prove useful to support a medical conduit from a nearby physical object such as a bedrail, etc. The medical conduit holder of this invention proves ideal for use with a large variety of mounting surfaces. There is no requirement that the mounting surface be planar or regular in any way. Many medical treatments and procedures require the transient use of external and mesentery conduits and thereby require apparatus for temporarily holding the conduits in place in a convenient and inexpensive manner. As a result the invention applies to numerous and diverse specialties within the medical field. For example, lumen injection cannulae, feeding tubes, nasogastric tubes, Foley catheter and condom catheter tubes, dialysis tubes, angiocath and heparin lock set tubes, luer locks as well as other tubes used to introduce liquids into the body intravenously or to introduce oxygen into the mouth or nose of the patient may be adequately supported by means of this invention. Electrical wiring and other patient monitoring type conduits may also be conveniently held in place so as to prevent entanglement or dislodging during patient movement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has long been a need for a simple but universal tube, lumen, and conduit (TLC) holder for bedridden patients. For years adhesive tape attached directly to the skin and wrapped about the tube was the best device available for releasably but firmly retaining conduits upon a patient. Rarely do medical personnel have the skill to make a proper mesentery support using ordinary hospital self adhesive tape for holding a catheter or tube to the skin. Tape has proven unsatisfactory because it must be removed from the patient each time the conduit must be moved or changed, causing discomfort to the patient and skin irritation. Conduits of this nature often need to be reoriented or replaced requiring frequent irritating pulling of adhesive tape support structure from the sensitive epidermal layer of the patient. Various devices for holding either an injection cannula, catheter tubing or an infusion tube in place have been developed heretofore. Many prior conduit holders have made it difficult or impossible to adjust or replace the conduits without completely removing the conduit holder from its mounting surface. Prior conduit holders have also been difficult or impossible to trim to size for fitting to the patient. Many prior holders suffer from an inability to firmly hold long slender conduits in their lengthwise direction. In other words it was easy for the captured conduit to slide longitudinally with respect to the holder. This longitudinal sliding can be either desirable or undesirable, depending on the situation, and should therefore be under the control of the user as is accomplished with this invention. Another common problem with prior conduit holders is that they tend to get caught in bed linen and clothing due either to excess bulkiness or exposed tacky surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,288,136 issued to Lund on Nov. 29, 1966 shows a tube lock for releasably anchoring a medical tube to the skin of a patient. Lund uses VELCRO fastening means and an auxiliary tube to secure the tubing against lengthwise movement. The auxiliary tube causes the Lund device to be useful only for tubing of a certain diameter. In contradistinction, the instant invention may securely hold tubes or bundles of tubes of any diameter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,250 issued to Thomas on Jul. 18, 1972 shows a tabbed anchoring tape means for anchoring medical tubing. Thomas's tape is adhered to the skin of the patient and wrapped around the tubing but uses no easily releasable reusable attachment means and in no other way resembles the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,380 issued to Boyd on Sep. 10, 1974 shows a holder for intravenous injection cannula and tubing. Body uses a separate clamping tube in the form of a slit hollow cylinder for supporting the catheter tube which is in turn held shut by a VELCRO strip. This holder is not adaptable to different sized or multiple tubing. In contradistinction, the instant invention will hold conduits of all sizes, and multiple conduits.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,849 issued to Muller et al on Apr. 22, 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,421 issued to Poprick on Oct. 16, 1973, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,280 issued to Lacount on Apr. 10, 1973 show catheter or surgical tube supports which are designed to encircle a limb of the patient. In contradistinction, the instant invention does not require the encircling of a limb to establish a firm support base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,784 issued to Johnson on Aug. 28, 1979 shows a catheter tube holder forming a double bridge member that loosely encircles the tube. The Johnson holder does not prevent longitudinal slippage of the tube and is therefore limited in application. In direct contradistinction thereto, the instant invention may be infinitely adjusted to grip firmly various sizes and quantities of tubes, while preventing longitudinal slippage of the tubes; accordingly, the instant invention provides a virtually unlimited range of applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,468 issued to Geist on Jun. 8, 1982 shows a mesentery tube holder apparatus for adhesive attachment of a tube to a patient's body. Geist's support does not completely encircle the tubing or provide uniform clamping pressure about the circumference thereof. Geist's holder is not adaptable to a wide range of different tubing diameters nor is it suitable for simultaneously holding several pieces of tubing. In contradistinction, the instant invention completely encircles the medical conduit with a bidirectional wrapping, allows a significantly greater total holding force without tube deformation, and is suitable for multiple or variable diameter tubing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,976 issued to Ferguson on Apr. 22, 1986 shows a catheter support adhesively attached to the skin. The support does not completely encircle the tubing or provide uniform clamping pressure about the circumference thereof. Ferguson's holder is not adaptable to a wide range of different tubing diameters nor is it suitable for simultaneously holding several pieces of tubing. By way of contradistinction, the instant invention completely encircles the medical conduit with a bidirectional wrapping, allows a significantly greater total holding force without tube deformation, and is suitable for multiple or variable diameter tubing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,245 issued to Hubbard et al on Feb. 18, 1986 shows a personal catheter leg strap which appears, at least superficially, like the instant invention in that they both employ VELCRO fastened straps encircling a catheter tube. However, in direct contradistinction the instant invention, Hubbard's holder must be wrapped around a limb of the patient thus limiting its use to the area of the limbs. Hubbard's holder can only be oriented in a fixed direction with respect to the limb it encircles. Hubbard's conduit strap must be wrapped an additional half turn about the tubing so as to prevent the artificial burr material from exterior exposure. However, this direction of wrapping makes the support weaker by requiring the VELCRO attachment points to be located some distance from the supported tube. Hubbard does not address the problem of axial slippage of the supported tube in this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,017 issued to Hubbard et al on Oct. 14, 1986 is a continuation-in-part of the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,245. This patent specifically addresses the axial slippage problem but otherwise suffers from the same disadvantages mentioned above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,736 issued to Kalt et al on Oct. 27, 1987 shows a tubing clamp utilizing a conduit strap having VELCRO fastening means for adhering a medical tubing between a resilient pad on the strap and a resilient base. Kalt's holder does not completely encircle the tubing or provide uniform clamping pressure about the circumference thereof. Kalt's holder is not adaptable to a wide range of different tubing diameters nor is it suitable for simultaneously holding several pieces of tubing. By way of contradistinction, the instant invention completely encircles the medical conduit with a bidirectional wrapping, allows a significantly greater total holding force without tube deformation, and is suitable for multiple or variable diameter tubing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,716 issued to McGuire on Feb. 23, 1988 shows a fastener exclusively made to hold Foley catheters. Since the device has an opening for inserting a second passage of the catheter, McGuire's catheter holder will only work with Foley type catheters. In contradistinction, the instant invention enfolds the tubing from two directions with straps firmly attached to a large area adhesive base plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,322 issued to Bowen et al on Sep. 15, 1992, in which a named coinventor therein, Michael L. Bowen, is the same person named as a coinventor in the instant application, teaches a catheter tube holder including a double base member with an integral tube holder extended upwardly from the center of the base. The holder includes a slot through which the tab end of the holder is inserted, after the tab main body is wrapped around a catheter tube, and the tab end is provided with hook type fasteners cooperating with the loops of a loop strip on the top surface of one side of the double base member. Wrapping the tube is a two handed operation and one must carefully insert the "hook" tab end through a very small aperture to avoid the hook catching on the loop portion of the base. In contradistinction, the bidirectional enfolding of the two straps of the instant invention can be accomplished quickly and easily with one hand, since the straps are simply folded over the tube. There is no "threading" involved due to the provision of a cutout of substantial dimensions in the large strap.
The brochure of Utah Medical of Midvale, Utah shows a tube holder of APLIX Inc. which is of unknown date (circa 1990) but is believed to qualify as prior art with respect to this invention. The APLIX holder makes no provision for securement against lengthwise movement of the tubing and exposes VELCRO hooks to the surroundings. By contrast, the instant invention has at least a limited range of directional adjustment, provides bidirectional endfolding for stopping lengthwise movement, and does not expose VELCRO hooks to the surroundings.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.